


The Summoning

by Aria_Lerendeair



Series: Aria's SH Bingo Fics 2019-2020 [41]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, BAMF Alec Lightwood, Bad Flirting, Human (and then not) Alec Lightwood, Immortal Husbands, M/M, Mentions of Divine Wrath, Old God Magnus Bane, Pagan Ritual References, Protective Alec Lightwood, Sharing a kiss, Temptations, mentions of human sacrifice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:20:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24996016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Lerendeair/pseuds/Aria_Lerendeair
Summary: Summoning the old gods - the Hell Bound Princes who demanded payment in flesh and were known for their fickleness was a risk.But Alec no longer had a choice.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Aria's SH Bingo Fics 2019-2020 [41]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1595839
Comments: 88
Kudos: 754





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Bingo Fill: Mistletoe 
> 
> Decided to take the mistletoe prompt in a COMPLETELY different direction than usual and see where I ended up, and I am head over heels in LOVE with this idea!! 
> 
> This fic definitely has some darker pagan vibes to it (with no actual attachment to the religion) - I pulled much of it from Supernatural, so please keep that in mind.

Alec was desperate. 

By the time sunrise was upon them, it would be too late - his sister would be  _ taken. _ If he was to act to save her, he had to do it now. 

He hurried into the woods, to the altar that was already prepped and ready for the ceremony at dawn. He spread the materials out that he’d gathered quickly and prepared the ritual. 

Alec took a deep breath and pulled the chalk out of his pocket, carefully drawing the summoning circle. He positioned the ingredients and moved the mistletoe to the center. A sacrifice to the old gods required blood. Taking his knife out, he sliced open his hand and let blood saturate the mistletoe before he tied a bandage around his palm. 

Taking out his flint next, Alec set the mistletoe aflame and watched it burn, the smoke circling around the altar. He clenched his eyes shut and offered up a prayer, that the gods would  _ hear,  _ that they would  _ answer. _

Silence curled around the clearing, all the sounds of the forest fading away. Alec held his breath and opened his eyes. Standing across from him was… He swallowed. It wasn’t a man, the golden cat eyes that gleamed in the darkness said as much, as did the swirls of blue and red magic curling around his body. 

“You play with fire, sweet thing, summoning me here with no means to bind me, or bend me to your will.” 

Alec lowered his eyes and looked down at the burning mistletoe. He didn’t have long to plead his case. “I’m not here to bind you, or demand favors. I’m here to ask for your help.” 

“Assistance?” he drawled, surprised. “Of all the creatures you could summon to your side to ask for help, you select me, the one who will demand a price in flesh?” 

“I’m not afraid of your price, I’ll pay it, gladly. I just…” Alec breathed out slowly, the frantic rush of the evening catching up with him after he’d realized just who the village had chosen for the victim. “I need you to save my sister, please.  _ Please.” _

He hummed and tilted his head. “What do I save her from?” 

“My village. There is a sacrifice given to Ekoge, every spring. Normally it is an animal, but the winter has been so hard and so long…” Alec swallowed down the bile in his throat. “The elders decided that a larger sacrifice was required.” 

He stepped closer, reaching out to pinch some of the burning mistletoe between his fingers. “How many are you?” 

Alec frowned, his brows wrinkling, trying to understand the question. “How many…?” 

“Your loyalty to your sister speaks of a depth of protectiveness that runs soul-deep. That loyalty rarely focuses on one. How many are you?” he asked, lifting the ash from the mistletoe to his nose, inhaling the scent slowly. 

“Four,” Alec breathed. “Myself, my brother, my sister, and my younger brother.” 

His lips curled, a vicious smirk appearing. “Your parents?” 

“Among those who selected my sister,” Alec breathed. The words were agonizing, painful, even as they left his lips. “I hold no desire to protect them.” 

“I do approve,” he purred, licking his lips. “It is rare to see one of your kind summon a Hell Bound god, sweet thing. Tell me your name, for you shall be mine.” 

“Alexander,” he whispered. “You are called…?” 

He hummed and smiled. “They call me Great Destruction in the old tongue.” 

Alec swallowed, thinking quickly to translate it. “Magnus Bane, then,” he said. When the god’s cat eyes swung to him, he met them steadily. “I speak the old tongue.” 

Magnus tilted his head, studying the human much more curiously. “How rare,” he breathed, stepping around the altar. He dipped his fingers into the residue left by the burnt mistletoe and turned to the human. “I cannot protect or shield. It is not and cannot be my nature.” 

Fear choked Alec and he stared at the god who stepped closer. “Then how can you help?” he breathed. 

“I offer you my claim,” Magnus said, lifting his fingers. “My symbol, drawn into your skin, and theirs. With it, none would dare come near you.” 

Alec nodded and watched as the god began to draw a symbol into the skin of his forearm. “What do I need to draw it with?” 

“Ashes of a freshly burned fire, mixed with your blood.” 

He could do that. Alec nodded again and met the god’s, Magnus Bane’s eyes, as soon as he was done. “And your price?” 

“You hold the soul of a warrior,” Magnus breathed. “So you shall be mine, here to deliver my wrath and vengeance to those who have earned it, and to share your body, should you desire it.” 

“I will not harm innocents,” Alec whispered. “I cannot.” He swallowed and closed his eyes, even as shame curled in his gut. "I have no objections to the second." 

Magnus smiled, reaching up to cup his jaw, forcing those pretty eyes to meet his. “I do know your soul, sweet thing. It soul sings with righteousness. Never shall you bring my justice on those who are innocent of wrong.” He stepped closer, exhaling against the soft lips that parted for him, so sweetly. “But shall you bring every inch of my power to bear on those who will harm the innocent, destroy the gentle, and kill the kind?” 

“Yes,” Alec breathed, the word ripped from him, stolen by the god’s lips, pressed possessively to his. He gasped, even as his mouth was claimed, his skin burning, his eyes falling shut, the sight of bright, golden cat-eyes lingering, even as blackness surrounded him. 

~!~ 

Alec awoke in a rush, his eyes flying to the window. The sky was beginning to lighten. He raced to the main room, scooping ashes from the fire into a bowl. His knife was once again where it belonged at his side and his hand had been healed. He repeated the slice from last night, pouring blood into the bowl before mixing it as best he could with his fingers as he rushed into his sister’s room. 

“Alec?” she asked, sitting up with a frown. “Is that you? It’s not even dawn.” 

“Give me your arm,” Alec ordered, taking it, dipping his fingers into the paste, quickly drawing the symbol Magnus had shown him into her skin, watching as it shimmered before sinking into her skin. A sigh of relief escaped him. 

“Alec?” she asked, sitting up with wide eyes. “Why...what has happened to you?” 

“I’ll explain when you are all safe,” Alec promised. “I must go to Jace and Max. Stay here. No one will harm you now.” 

Her eyes widened and she nodded. “You are safe?” 

Alec smiled and pressed his forehead to hers. “We all are, Isabelle. I’ll return.” He rushed to the room he shared with his brothers and marked them as well, ignoring their protests and voiced concerns. Last but not least, he drew the symbol on his own arm, exactly where the god had and watched the mixture sink into his skin. In an instant, his skin was on fire again and he clenched his eyes shut, breathing through it. 

Once it had faded, Alec looked down at his arms and took in the multiple markings that now decorated his skin. _Runes._ Runes of the old gods. Runes of power, of protection. Of strength and speed, of accuracy and agility. A weight settled into his palms and Alec looked down at the shining white blade, the bow and quiver, carved with the same runes that decorated his skin. 

Magic coalesced around him, the same blue and red that had surrounded the god. 

Alec could smell the fear from his siblings and he offered them a smile, before turning to the main room. He could hear the gathering of the elders. The sun was rising. They were coming for his sister. 

In easy, practiced movements, he placed the bow and quiver over his shoulder and across his chest. He settled the blade into his hand, lifting his chin as the door was kicked in. 

Power rang from his voice as he stepped forward, the runes on his skin shining gold. 

**_“No.”_ **


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That moment where I tell a bunch of folks there's a second chapter to this and FORGET that I wrote it as part of Alec Lightwood's Birthday Bash 2020....oops!! 
> 
> Prompted by effdragonkiller: Okay, so not quite in the same tone as your request, but maybe a bamf and domestic sequel to The Summoning? Since you rec'ed it in the server yesterday? *shrugs* I don't know, but Old God!Magnus is awesome. If nothing else you could do something with that?

Finding a new place for his siblings to live had been easier than Alec expected. He didn’t know if it was the protection of the god now burned into their skin, or if it was luck after they fled the village with all the valuables they could carry. (Alec carried far more, having looted the bodies he’d left behind that had intended harm on his sister.) 

  
Once he had his sister and brothers established in a quiet home outside a town where they could be happy, where they could be safe, he passed the money to them, taking only a fraction for himself. They would have a good life here and he would be able to visit them often. They would be _safe_. 

  
“Alec, where are you going?” 

  
Alec lifted his eyes to her and smiled faintly. Already he could feel the pounding desire in his body to be on the move, to be following the command of the god he had sworn himself to. And perhaps, his lips tingled with the faintest of touches from the one time they had met. 

  
“I will return soon,” he promised her, kissing her forehead. "But I have made a deal for our safety, and part of that includes fulfilling my portion of it.“ 

  
Isabelle frowned. "You will be safe?” 

  
Alec leaned in and kissed her forehead once more. "I shall be, dear one. Now, you must keep Jace and Max safe. I need you to do that for me, whatever it takes.“ 

  
Isabelle gave a hesitant nod and tightened her hand around the bag of coin Alec had handed her. "Come see us soon?” 

  
“I shall,” Alec promised, collecting the weapons he had, before saying goodbye to Jace and Max. The pounding under his skin was getting louder by the second. He needed to hurry. 

  
Stepping out into the fresh air, Alec turned his nose up into the sky and smiled faintly. He could turn to the city, to find those his blade was meant to seek, but he had a feeling he needed to meet his god again first. Instead, he turned to the fields past their home and began to walk. 

  
It took almost two days of walking away from civilization, and into a forest that promised to have game and food for him that Alec felt footsteps join him. "I was wondering when you would join,“ he spoke, drawing his arrow as he caught sight of the doe, firing a moment later, watching as she fell. He strode towards her and quickly ended her life, sending up a prayer of thanks for her as he began to clean and strip the animal. 

  
"I have been studying you.” 

  
Alec turned his eyes to the god standing behind him. Unlike at the altar, there was no power curling around him, and while his golden eyes shone, he seemed much more subdued. "Have I displeased you in some way?“ 

  
"No,” Magnus allowed, striding closer, to stand beside him. "That is what puzzles me.“ 

  
Alec frowned and focused on his work, knowing that he would have minimal time before he needed to make camp. "What about that puzzles you?” 

  
“I have offered you power,” Magnus said, watching as the boy continued to strip the animal for meat and hide. "I have offered you weapons, and the ability to use them. Yet you have done only as you bargained for.“ 

  
"Would you have had me do more?” Alec asked, glancing back at him. "I told you that I would not slaughter innocents. That they would be safe from me.“ 

  
Magnus waved a hand and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yes, yes, that is precisely what you told me, and I have been told it dozens of times before.” 

  
Abruptly, Alec understood. "Ah. You are surprised I was telling the truth.“ 

  
"Surprised, no,” Magnus said, scowling at the human. “Interested, yes.” 

  
Alec hummed and finished his work, standing up and walking past the god, leading the way to his camp by a nearby stream, quickly salting the meat before laying it out to dry, and beginning to strip off his armor. "What would you have me do then, as your Sword, and your Hand upon this earth?“ 

  
Magnus watched as the beautiful body was revealed before the boy stepped into the river, shivering at the cold of the water. He stepped in after him and looked his fill, every muscle covered in his runes on display for him. "I told you. Bring justice to those who would deserve it, cut them down to allow others to prosper.” 

  
Alec nodded, taking the lye, beginning to scrub himself clean before he turned to look at the god, blinking in surprise at how close he was. "And where shall I go to accomplish this?“ 

  
Magnus allowed his eyes to drift lower, taking in the picture the boy made, standing thigh-deep in the river. "South,” he said, his words clipped and decisive. "You shall go south. To the kingdom of Aberden. Their leader requires…“ 

  
Alec smiled faintly and nodded. "Very well. I shall make my way there.” 

  
Magnus tilted his head and studied the boy. "And what of the other part of our deal?“ He asked, his smirk turning devilish. The boy looked to him again, his eyes widening, and a delightful blush began to curl down his cheeks and neck. "If you are willing, of course,” he added. "I do not like my bed partners to be forced.“ 

  
Alec swallowed and glanced to the god, to his shining golden eyes, the tempered bronze of his brown skin, the lips that tormented him in private moments, and even more private dreams. "If you wish it,” he managed, his voice hoarse. His body was already responding to the idea, and he knew that the god would be able to see. 

  
Magnus hummed. "Is it what you wish? To see what pleasure I can give you? That I can teach you to experience?“ 

  
"I,” Alec looked down at the water and splashed some on his shoulders, trying to focus. "I have never wanted a wife,“ he blurted, frowning as he shook himself. "From the time I was little, I understood that what I wanted I would never have.” 

  
A sly grin began to curl Magnus’ lips and he stepped in closer to the boy, though, now that he looked closer, this was no boy. A man, though perhaps young. Having seen twenty winters or perhaps a few more. "And if I were to tell you that you could have it?“ 

  
Alec’s mouth went dry and he stared at god, at the glowing gold of his cat eyes, the tempting parting of his lips, hovering just out of reach. "I, I would ask that…” he swallowed hard. 

  
“What?” Magnus demanded, his voice soft. "What would you ask of your god, sweet thing? My darling Sword, and my very own. What would you ask of me, knowing I would give you almost anything?“ 

  
Alec’s eyes dropped to the god’s lips and he swayed closer, his mind swimming with the tension and the desire he could feel curling between the both of them. "A kiss,” he breathed. "I would ask for a kiss.“ 

  
A delighted laugh escaped Magnus and he wrapped his arms around Alec’s shoulders, his fingers tangling into the thick black hair tied at the nape of his neck. "Then take what you wish,” he ordered, tilting his head up. 

  
Alec dropped his hands to the god, no, he had a name. Great Destruction. _Magnus._ Magnus Bane. Magnus’ waist, cupping his fingers around his hips carefully before he leaned down and pressed their lips together. A small gasp escaped him at the softness, the tantalizing press of skin against his before he was being pulled closer, the fingers in his hair yanking him in until gentle skin gave way to the ht slide of lips together, teasing tongues and quick nips of teeth.

  
The kiss went on and on, and Alec didn’t realize how they were pressed together until they finally had to part for air. He panted, his lips tingling, and his body too hot to stare at the god in his arms. His heart was pounding and he wanted more. It had been better than he could have ever imagined. 

  
“You are…” Magnus breathed, leaning in to steal another kiss, just a faint brush of their lips together. "A temptation even for a god, Alexander. Would you have me teach you more? To teach you everything there is to want?“ 

  
Alec swallowed, feeling the weight of the power that suddenly pulsed around the two of them at the question. Magnus’ eyes were on his, mesmerizing and bright. He couldn’t look away. He didn’t want to. "What would you ask in return for such a gift?” 

  
Magnus laughed in delight, grinning up at his Sword. "Such a pretty compliment,“ he praised, watching the blush that he enjoyed start to creep up pale cheeks again. "I would ask that I am the only one to ever know you in this way. That if you give yourself to me…” he trailed his fingers lower and cupped Alexander in his hand, listening to him gasp, his whole body shuddering. "No one else can ever have you.“ 

  
"I am your Sword,” Alec breathed, trying to hold himself still from the urge to rock into Magnus’ hand, the faint hint of pressure around him enough to make him tremble. "I belong to you in every way that a human can belong to a god. If you wish to give me this gift, Magnus, then I will pay whatever price you ask for it.“ 

  
A low, possessive growl left Magnus and he pulled Alexander into another kiss, his fingers wrapping around him more solidly before he swallowed the moan that threatened to break free from his lips. Even the cool press of the water around them was not enough to dampen the heat of their passion, and Magnus allowed himself to be swept away by the tempting innocence of Alexander. 

  
~!~

  
Whatever Alec had expected when Magnus had brought him back to the shore, curling up with the god on his pallet had not been on his mind. But now, with one arm snuggly around the waist of the god, and Magnus’ face pressed into his neck, he was glad of it. Alec pressed his face to Magnus’ hair and breathed in deeply, closing his eyes. 

  
Magnus had promised more, had promised many lifetimes more to experience, and to teach him. Alec let himself drift, imagining, if only for a moment, that he could begin to hold the attention of a god as long as that. 

  
~!~

  
Years passed. 

  
It took many more years, at least a score, for Alec to see the silver beginning to streak through his sister’s hair, compared to his own that remained jet black that Alec realized what his deal meant. What being Magnus’ Sword truly meant. 

  
When his sister smiled at him and held him close, and brought him in to introduce him to his nieces and nephews, and even their cousins, Alec felt his heart tighten in his chest at the sight. 

  
He would watch over all of them. He would keep them safe and he would make sure they had the protection. 

  
Before he left them again, following the siren call of Magnus’ power that he could feel, now, he marked each of them. Blood and ash, mixed together and burned into their skin. A promise, from Magnus, and from himself. He would keep them safe. 

  
He hugged his sister, and his brothers, now grown with lives of their own, and turned to the life he had chosen for himself. 

  
Magnus waited, as he always did now, his golden eyes alight with mischief and teasing. Alec drank in the sight of him, brown skin gleaming in the sun, and smiled, stepping in close for the kiss he knew the god would pull him in to. When their lips parted with a soft, slick sound, Alec kissed him again, years of pleasure teaching him just how to tease Magnus into pulling him closer. 

  
“A good visit home then?” Magnus teased, licking his lips as he stared at his Sword. 

  
Alec shook his head. “A visit to an old life, one that I have sworn to protect. But no longer home.” When Magnus merely blinked at him, staring in confusion, Alec leaned in to kiss him again, soft, slow, and lingering. “Now I am home,” he breathed. 

  
When Magnus’ hands clung tighter to him, Alec melted into the embrace. He had long ago found the home he had once hoped to build for himself, and with it had come purpose, and a happiness he had never allowed himself to dream of. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Criticisms welcome!
> 
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> 
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> 
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End file.
